July 2011

It's Time: Living with Wolves in Washington

Amazing news just arrived: Two new packs in Washington. You've likely heard about the new Teanaway Pack in the Cascades just 90 miles east of Seattle, confirmed earlier this month. Then, on Friday, news of a fifth pack in Stevens County!

After a 70-year absence, we are hopeful for our state's wolves, but poaching, loss of endangered species status, and other threats loom large. Without a strong recovery plan, Washington's wolves remain at risk.

The state is currently finalizing that plan. The most important thing you can do for wolves is voice your support for a science-based plan, in person , at public hearings on Aug 4th, Oct 6th, and Nov 3rd in Olympia and Aug 29th in Ellensburg.

But first – please join Conservation Northwest and partners at an exciting evening for wolves, Wed July 27, 7 – 9 pm at Seattle's Burke Museum. Learn from regional experts and hone your skills for the upcoming hearings. If you can't make the 27th, join us at Wolf Haven on July 30th!

Keep Washington's Wolves Howling

This summer, you can be a wolf champion. Share your passion for wolves easily with our new campaign on give2gether. Every gift (no matter what size) goes a long way to help us host activist trainings and educational forums for landowners, organize citizens to speak up for a strong state management plan, add to our reward fund to apprehend poachers, and monitor wolf packs across the state.

Please visit the campaign page and help by making a small gift and sharing with friends. The online tools make it easy to spread the word! We have just under a month to raise what we need for this vital work; please don't wait.

Give Wilderness a Voice at Forest Meetings

Care about the future of your favorite national forest and the wildlife that live there? Spend a few hours inside this summer at one of several Forest Service open house meetings. These forest plan meetings are a once-in-a-decade chance to influence the future of the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Colville National Forests. You can help protect quiet recreation opportunities, wildlife habitat, old-growth forests, and wilderness.

Seattle residents will want to save the date for an Aug 13 open house . Eastside meetings occur Aug 1 (Spokane) , Aug 2 (Newport), Aug 6 (Wenatchee), Aug 10 (Yakima), and Aug 11 (Cle Elum). People who attend a public meeting can learn about the proposed management plan and public comment process, speak one-on-one with the Forest Service, and provide comment to protect places you love. This process is an especially important step towards permanent protection for wilderness-quality lands in the Columbia Highlands .

 

Grizzly Bears and Wolves on the Rebound

From new wolves to discoveries of the Ursus variety, July brought a double rainbow for Washington wildlife. An image of a grizzly bear in North Cascades National Park presents the first confirmed sighting in 15 years. The Cascades are excellent habitat for bears. Yet endangered Cascades grizzly bears are so few and the area so big and rugged that finding them there has been like looking for needles in a haystack. Now, hiker Joe Sebille's photos give us more hope – and the urgency to speed recovery for Cascades grizzly bears.

As our own Mitch Friedman says, "At Conservation Northwest we committed ourselves 20 years ago to guarding, increasing, and protecting the wildness of our great Northwest region. The results today for wildlife are gratifying." Help us take the next step for grizzlies by asking US Fish and Wildlife to get moving for bears.